a bleeding purple utah jazz blog

Disgrace.

We’ve had conversations with Jerry on [honoring him], and there will be a time that Jerry will be honored and recognized. We have felt like it should be a time that is right for both the organization and for Jerry, and right now we have both thought that that time isn’t yet. So we want to honor and respect Jerry’s request of when we do that, so it’ll be probably sometime forthcoming in the future. But it will not be this season. (KFAN)

I find it a complete disgrace that Jerry Sloan has yet to be honored by the Utah Jazz. It is also completely not in line with how the organization likes to portray itself (loyalty, values, etc.) I’m also not a fan of how Rigby said they’re looking for a time that’s right for first the organization, and second for Jerry. As far as the organization is concerned, the right time should have been yesterday.

Anyone that knows Jerry Sloan knows he is never going to say, “Yes, I would like a ceremony. I want to be honored. I want you to hold an event for me.” I don’t know Jerry, but the people in the organization do, which makes this even more of a travesty. For them to say that they’re waiting for Jerry to decide when the event should be is a complete, not to mention insincere, cop-out. If they’re waiting for Jerry to say, “I want a ceremony,” Jerry Sloan will never be honored by the Jazz. And they know this.

Does anyone think John Stockton wanted a retirement ceremony? He wanted nothing to do with one, and had to be tag-teamed by his wife and Larry H. Miller into agreeing to it. He would’ve been more than happy to disappear into the woodwork. John only relented after Larry explained that the fans needed it, to honor him.

Then again, given the way the front office and management handled the events leading up to Jerry’s departure, why am I even surprised? Can anyone see Greg Miller playing the Larry H. role of wanting to do something like this for Jerry? Let me put it another way. Can anyone imagine the organization dragging its feet on this front if Larry were still around?

Moni, take it easy. :) I guess it is understandable they’d rather wait a bit to honor Jerry and Phil. After all, the way they left was kind of traumatizing for the team, the fan base, and even more so for the coaches and the organization as well. I guess rushing the ceremony may have it unconsciously focusing on all the wrong things, because those are still so near us.

To proper honor coaches Sloan and Phil, all of us must be past the mistakes that lead to them resigning so we can really focus on the unbelievable things they accomplished. The Jazz messed up, Deron messed up, Malone messed up and it was tough. When everyone relaxes, realizes it’s ok and is past that, then lets honor coaches. Otherwise, the one and only ceremony may be ruined by all the wrong things.

I think putting off the ceremony and waiting for all the “bad feelings” to go away is making it about the organization, when it should be about Jerry. This was actually the point of the post, that the Jazz are making it about them. IMO, waiting on the ceremony perpetuates the the trauma when a ceremony would bring fans together in paying tribute to Jerry and putting the past behind them.

When over a year has already passed, there’s no “rush” about it anymore. And as Rigby said, it won’t be this season which means at least 18 months will have passed by the time they get around to it.

As for the Lakers and Phil, he was with LAL for 10 years with a break in the middle. Jerry was with the Jazz for 23 years. 27 if you count his years as an assistant before he became head coach. Plus the day we start modelling ourselves as an organization after the Lakers…

I love your passion, but I still understand. If they called a ceremony right now, there would probably be more buzz about whether they’d invite Malone and what he might say in interviews than really appreciating Jerry.

So I’m not sure delaying makes it be about the organization, because if sour feelings, improper interviews and blog posts and booing takes over, everyone loses. Jerry loses, the organization loses, Ty and the team loses, it’s tough. We have one chance to give Jerry a proper ceremony he deserves, we just can’t screw that under any circumstance.